Paint brush holder



y 1937- J. E. AKERGREN PAINT BRUSH HOLDER Filed Oct. 21, 1935 Patented May 25, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAINT BRUSH HOLDER Johan Emil Akergren, Chicago, 111., assignor of one-third to Frederic A. Fischel, Chicago, Ill.

This invention relates to paint brush holders.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a novel paint brush holder, for supporting one or more paint brushes in a container with the lower ends of the bristles of the brushes held above the bottom of the container.

As is well known, used paint brushes are usually kept in oil, water or other suitable liquid when not in use, so as to prevent the paint from hardening on the bristles. However, it is objectionable to permit paint brushes to stand or rest on their bristles, because they become distorted and are likely to lose their shape permanently.

Another object is to provide a paint brush holder in which the side edges of the brush are unconfined but are left free and unobstructed.

Another object is to provide a paint brush holder which can be made to fit round paint pails or containers or rectangular containers.

Another object is to provide a paint brush holder composed of units, whereby as many units may be assembled as is necessary to accommodate the holder to a given receptacle.

Another object is to provide a paint brush holder having a resilient frame for supporting resilient wings, between which the brushes are clasped or gripped to thereby support them above the bottom of the container.

With these and other objects and advantages in View, this invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a round paint pail, taken on the line l'| of Fig. 3, showing, in end elevation, a paint brush holder therein, embodying a simple form of the present invention and illustrating a fragment of a paint brush supported by the holder;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the paint brush holder, showing the same in a round pail, which is illustrated in central, vertical section;

Fig. 3 is a plan of the holder and pail seen in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail, fragmental, enlarged, vertical cross-section, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail, fragmental, horizontal section, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the wing supporting frame, showing, in dotted lines, a supplemental frame unit used in increasing the length of the frame to adapt it for use in a rectangular container; and

Fig. '7 is a perspective View of the supplemental unit illustrated in Fig. 6.

Referring to said drawing, the reference character 8 designates a round container, such as a paint pail, for containing oil, water or other suitable liquid, in which to store used, wet paint brushes. 5

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated,

a wing supporting frame 9 is provided, which is adapted to rest upon the bottom of the pail, or other container, and is arranged to support the brush holding wings I!) at some distance above 10 the bottom of the pail.

Desirably the frame 9 is composed of resilient wire, and for use in round pails, the frame may be composed of a single length of wire bent up to form parallel horizontal base portions l and parallel upright wing supports l2, desirably composed of slightly inclined arms [3 connected at their upper ends by horizontal parallel wing supporting cross connections M.

In the specific form of the invention illustrated, and for convenience, referring to Fig. 6, it will be seen that the length of wire forming the main frame unit is bent up to form the several parts thereof, the ends of the length of wire being twisted around the middle upwardly inclined arms [3, as at l5, l6. Starting with the twisted end l5, the configuration of the wire frame may be readily traced through the various parts to the twisted end Hi. It will be observed that the parallel spaced base members H are connected by three yoke-like parallel wing supports l2. This unit includes a base portion, which is rectangular in plan and fits fairly well against the side of the round pail with which the device is used. When adapting the holder to a rectangular container of greater length than its width, one or more supplemental frame units ll are employed in connection with the main frame unit. These supplemental units are of yoke-like form, formed of a length of wire, bent up to form base portions l F and upwardly inclined arms i3 3 connected by the cross-connection M to which a wing unit is arranged to be secured. The ends of the base portions ll are twisted around either of the endmost arms l3 of the main unit, as is seen at I9. Any desired length of frame may thus be built up, but its exact form of construction is not material, as various forms will readily present themselves to those skilled in the art.

Secured to the upper ends of the wing supports [2 are the brush gripping wing units I0. Each Wing unit is composed of a piece of resilient sheet metal bent upon itself along a line extending crosswise thereof and located approximately midway between its ends, so as to form a v-shaped unit having two oppositely directed wings 20. The apex portion of the wing units are bent around the cross-connections M of the wing supports, as seen at 2i in Fig. 4, and are also bent around the upper ends of the arms I3, as seen at 22 in Figs. 4 and 5, thereby providing a very rigid connection between the wing units and wing supports.

The wings of each wing unit incline downwardly in opposite directions from their apex ends, and their lower ends are curled or rolled back so as to provide smooth, rounded edge portions that are adapted to bear against the bristles of the brushes when inserted between the wings.

One wing of each wing unit co-operates with an adjacent wing of an adjacent wing unit to grasp the bristles of a brush B, between them, as is clearly illustrated in Fig. 1.

When the holder is constructed for use in round containers, three wing units are desirably used, as shown, the wings of the middle wing unit being wide enough at its apex portion to extend approximately across the widest part of the container.

The apex portions of the end wing units are somewhat narrower than the apex portions of the middle wing unit, in order to fit a round container, and the inner wings of the end wing units widen out towards their lower ends so as to be of substantially the same width, at their lower edges, as the middle wings, and the outer Wings of the end wing units are made narrower at their lower ends so as to fit against the curved wall of the pail.

Desirably the wing units and frame are composed of resilient material and the wings incline at such an angle that their lower ends are held in contact with the wings of adjacent wing units with the end wings contacting with the wall of the pail. Some slight tension is thereby exerted upon all of the wings in order that they may obtain a gripping action upon brushes inserted between them or inserted between the end wings and the side of the pail.

In use the holder is placed in a container which it fits and the latter is partially filled with oil, water or other suitable liquid, used for preserving paint brushes. To support a paint brush with the bristles submerged in the liquid, and with the bristles supported entirely free from the bottom of the container, the brush is inserted down through any of the spaces between any two adjacent wings, thereby spreading the two wings apart far enough to permit the bristle portion of the brush to pass between the lower curled edges of the wings. Care should be taken not to push the brush down far enough to bring the bristles into contact with the bottom of the container. The resilient wings grip or clasp the brush bristles between them and support the brush at whatever position is left in the holder. It is also to be observed that owing to the resiliency of the frame, the yoke-like wing supports themselves may yield slightly, due to the pressure exerted against them by the upper ends of the wings when a brush is inserted between the wings.

Resiliency of the frame is not necessary, as the resilient wings may yield suificiently when a brush is inserted between them to accommodate the brush bristles.

Obviously large or small brushes may be properly held by the device. The end wings being narrower than the middle wings, smaller brushes may be readily supported between the side of the container and the end wings.

When used in rectangular containers, as many frame and wing units are assembled as are necessary to accommodate the holder to the container. The Wings are desirably made of a width to fit loosely between the sides of the container and the size and shape of the device may be proportioned to fit any given container.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A paint brush holder, comprising a wing supporting frame, having spaced upright wing supports and oppositely disposed downwardly converging resilient wings, secured at their upper ends to said Wing supports, and unconnected at their lower ends, the spaces between the wing supports and between the opposite wings being free and unobstructed throughout the length and width of the wings.

2. A paint brush holder, comprising a wing sup-porting frame having spaced upright parallel resilient wing supports, and. inverted V-shaped wing units secured at their apex ends to said wing supports with their wings disposed opposite to Wings of adjacent wing units and co-operating therewith to grip brushes between them, the lower ends of the opposite wings being unconneoted.

3. A paint brush holder, comprising resilient inverted V-shape-d wing units which converge toward each other from top to bottom and are unconnected at the bottom, and resilient means to connect together the upper ends of the several wing units.

l. In a paint brush holder, the combination of a frame having a base and a plurality of upright wing supports rising therefrom, and a plurality of inverted V-shaped wing units supported at their'apex ends upon said wing supports with the wings of one Wing unit converging downwardly toward the wings of another unit, the spaces between the wings being entirely free and. unobstructed throughout.

5. A paint brush holder, comprising in combination a resilient support having a base portion, and spaced parallel wing supports extending up therefrom, and separately formed resilient inverted V-shaped wing units secured at their apex ends upon said wing supports, the wings of each wing unit inclining downwards toward the adjacent wings of adjacent wing units and cooperating therewith to grip and support a paint brush therebetween.

6. A paint brush holder, comp-rising in combination a support having a base portion and a plurality .of spaced parallel resilient wing supports extending up therefrom, and a plurality of separately formed, inverted V-shaped resilient wing units secured at their apex ends to the upper ends of said wing supports.

'7. A paint brush holder, comprising in combination a bent up wire sup-port providing a base portion and spaced parallel wing supports extending up therefrom, and a plurality of inverted V-shaped resilient wing units secured at their apex ends to the upper ends of said wing sup ports with their wings inclining toward adjacent Wings of adjacent wing units and co-operating therewith to grip a paint brush therebetween, the spaces between adjacent wings being entirely free and unobstructed throughout.

8. A paint brush holder, comprising a bent up wire support composed of a single length of wire, bent up to form two parallel base portions connected by several yoke-like wing supports having legs connected at their upper ends by cross-connections, and V-shaped wing units bent at their apex ends around said cross-connections and around adjacent parts of the legs, the wings of each wing unit co-operating with wings of adjacent wing units to grip paint brushes therebetween.

9. A paint brush holder, comprising in combination a support formed of joinable sections and having a base from which rise several parallel resilient wing supports, and separately 10 formed wing units secured upon said wing supports, with their lower ends unconnected from each other.

10. A paint brush holder, comprising in combination a support composed of joinable sections, each having a base portion, from which rises at least one resilient wing support and separately formed, inverted V-shaped wing units secured upon said wing supports. 

